A Foreign Affair Page #9

- Sorry, sir.

Since that committee arrived,

you've been playing a double bill

with the lady from Iowa in the upper half.

I'd appreciate it

if you leave her out of this, sir.

You would?

Pressure has been exerted to have you

go back to the United States for a while.

- So I've heard.

- You're not going of course.

Of course. When do proceedings start, sir?

Captain Pringle, you're to stay away

from that certain party, off limits.

Suits me fine. It was all washed up

anyway as far as I'm concerned.

Let's get this straight. You're to stay

away from the Congresswoman.

Pick up that torch for

Frulein von Schltow,

light it again and carry it in public,

that's an order.

- Well, how do you do.

- You've heard of Hans Otto Birgel?

- That was her guy.

- He's hiding out in the American zone.

- He's dead.

- He's very much alive.

And thanks to you, he's kicking.

We had a hunch about him

so we watched Miss von Schltow.

Here are three letters we intercepted.

Someone tipped him off that his girl

has been seeing an American officer.

He's a jealous rat. He says he's going

to come out and kill you both.

- That's cute.

- Now, go on back and fan those flames.

Stick around the Frulein until he shows.

I wish I'd never crossed

the Remagen Bridge.

Sorry, son, that's the way it reads.

OK, I'm going.

Only I think I'll have that coffee first.

Never mind the cup.

Just give me a spoonful of the powder.

- Do you have your passport with you?

- No.

You just tell them who you are

and they check with the army officials.

- I can't do that.

- Why?

What if the German papers pick it up

and there are some ugly references?

May never reach Washington.

Of course there's one person who could

get you out of all this nastiness.

Me. I could do it.

No names mentioned. No aftereffects.

Just as if it never happened.

Why should you? You don't like me.

It's not generosity. We Germans

can't afford to be generous.

We're very poor.

It's give and take if we are to survive.

What have I to give?

- What do you want to take?

You know what I told him?

That you were a country cousin of mine.

Perfectly easy if you have a safe conduct

with the signature of

a kind American officer on it.

And you wanted to chop his head off.

Exactly what is it you want from me,

Frulein von Schltow?

Let's go up to my apartment.

It's only a few ruins away from here.

- No, I'd rather not.

- You'd better.

You may need a handkerchief.

This is a beastly thing to do but you must

understand what happened to us here.

We all become animals

with exactly one instinct left.

Self-preservation.

Take me, Miss Frost.

Bombed out a dozen times.

Everything caved in

and pulled out from under me.

My country, my possessions, my beliefs.

Yet somehow I kept going.

Months in air-raid shelters

crammed in with 5,000 other people.

I kept going.

What do you think it was like to be a woman

here when the Russians swept in?

I kept going.

It was a living hell...

and then I found a man.

And through that man,

a roof and a job and food and...

And I'm not going to lose him.

What has all this to do with me?

A little. You see, you want the same man.

Come on. I told you

you'd need a handkerchief.

This is how he looked when I met him first.

He was a lieutenant.

He sat at his desk interrogating me.

He had such a grim, businesslike face,

but fortunately I was wearing

my last pair of silk stockings.

He's really a nice boy.

You mustn't judge him

by what he did to you.

He hated it. I know.

Of course, he would come here

and feel so miserable and sorry for you.

Your plane is leaving tomorrow, isn't it?

Don't sit there as if it was the end

of the world. Nothing happened.

He played a dirty trick on you, that's all.

So you fly off back home,

wash your hands, wash your lips...

They've got so much soap

in the United States.

Sorry. You know this game of love.

If you want to take

the advice of an old gambler,

some people are lucky at it,

some people are jinxed.

They shouldn't even sit down at the table.

I do not imagine you care to see him again.

Why not go up the stairs where it's dark

until he comes in and then leave?

Go on, leave. Haven't you had enough?

What is this, a big scene?

We can't keep a gentleman

in the dark, can we?

Four hours ago you could

have had him court-martialled

and sent me to a labour camp, not now.

Not any more. Now you're one of us.

Hi.

What's the matter?

No kiss for your little Schweinehund?

I'm sorry I had to show up with that

Congress dame. She's gone dappy.

Doesn't mean a thing.

Leaving tomorrow anyway.

Come on.

Sorry.

I guess this is where the funny man says,

"Shall we dance?"

You are not a funny man, Captain Pringle.

But you are quite a dancer.

What a waltz we had.

Good night.

Hey, Frulein!

Hey, Frulein!

Hey, Frulein!

Hey, Frulein!

Ein moment, Frulein!

Holy mackerel!

The last time we had

one of these, it lasted 11 days.

You're a great comfort.

You can't get to Washington soon enough, can

you, to dash off that black Berlin report?

No report at all, Colonel Plummer.

- No?

- I came here as an objective observer.

Some things have happened

which automatically disqualify me.

Aren't you taking it a little big?

- You know nothing whatever about it.

- I got a hunch.

In a way, I'm glad you took off the

blinkers and wandered away on your own.

It's a big mess we're trying to clean up.

There's a lot of rubble.

Rubble of all kinds,

vegetable, mineral and animal.

You walk around on it, you're apt to get

conked on the head by a loose brick.

Stop it, please.

I've had about all I can stand.

(Plummer) I'm sorry but I feel a little

responsible about that loose brick, Pringle.

- Colonel, please.

- I'm not trying to whitewash him.

There isn't enough paint

in Germany for that

but let me scrape together

something in his defence.

- I'm not listening.

- Take it from me.

He won't get off scot-free.

As a matter of fact,

he's started to pay already.

It's no fun to walk around

with a target pinned on your chest.

I'd appreciate it if you'd leave me alone.

How's about some reading matter

for the plane?

Those aren't teardrops. I was washing my

hands when he asked me to give it to you.

All right, I'll put it right there.

Colonel Plummer, it's clearing. We should

be taking off in about 20 minutes.

- Thank you.

- Yes, sir.

Gentlemen, I was just informed there will

be no flights until tomorrow morning.

Now, we might as well

get ourselves back into town.

Sorry, Miss Frost. We're going

to wait for the fog to lift a little.

Amidst the ruins of Berlin

Trees are in bloom

as they have never been

Sometimes at night

you feel in all your sorrow

Her perfume as of a sweet tomorrow

That's when you realise at last

They won't return

the phantoms of the past

A brand new spring is to begin

Out of the ruins of Berlin

Amidst the ruins of Berlin

Trees are in bloom

as they have never been...

Hans Otto Birgel.

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